Super Bowl XXXVIII.

The ex-Bear factor

January 27, 2004

The Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1908 and, in that time, it's become a common exercise to inspect teams playing in the World Series for their relative ex-Cubness. As the theory goes, the more ex-Cubs, the worse a team's chance to win. Since the Bears haven't won a Super Bowl in almost 20 years, RedEye wondered: Over time, is there an ex-Bear factor since that last--and lone--Chicago Super Bowl?

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New England Patriots

Fred Baxter

Rosevelt Colvin*

Ted Washington

Carolina Panthers

Shane Burton

Mike Caldwell*

Terry Cousin

Ricky Proehl

Todd Sauerbrun

Ex-Bear factor

Before game

+2

Ex-Bear factor

Odds

Las Vegas books like the Pats by a touchdown, but the astute Bears observer wears Carolina blue here.

Ex-Bears are +2 overall since Super Bowl XX, and Carolina has the edge in ex-Bears on its roster, 5-3.